A popular form of handset construction today comprises an upper and lower pair of elongated complementary housing members that meet at their perimeters. These housing members, which serve to enclose the components housed within the handset, are typically joined together by one or more fasteners. If the fasteners are left exposed, it detracts from the appearance of the handset, and therefore an additional component is typically mounted on the handset to cover up the fasteners or the fasteners are placed in an obscure location. In either case, this arrangement does not lend itself to automation and/or it is labor intensive and/or it adds to the cost of the handset.
As an alternative to the use of fasteners, the housing members have been joined together by the application of a bonding material to their perimeters. This arrangement is also difficult to automate and in addition it is difficult to keep the bonding material from flowing off of the perimeter surfaces and onto the appearance surfaces of the housing members. Such a flow onto the appearance surfaces, of course, detracts from the appearance of the handset.